(C) Tackle.
(1) At the lodge.
It is not necessary for guests to bring tackle. Conventional trolling, spinning and mooching tackle is provided for the salt water portion of our fishing program. Fly fishing tackle is provided for the fresh water portion of our program.
If you wish to bring your own tackle, please do so. For saltwater fly fishing we suggest a 10 weight outfit with a long fast sinking tip (Teeny 3-400) line. For saltwater spinning/casting work, we suggest an outfit with 20 pound line for lures up to 2 ounce. For freshwater fly fishing we suggest a 6 to 8 weight outfit with a floating line and a medium sink tip line such as the Scientific Anglers 10 ft. Wet Tip III Hi-D.
Like to tie your own flys? We suggest natural gold ribbed hare's ear in sizes 8 and 12 and gray ghost in size 6 for freshwater and estuary use. For saltwater we suggest bait fish patterns like the Clouser minnow and deceiver in size 1/0 or 2. The best colors are chartreuse over white, blue/white and red/white work well at times. Rabbit leaches in a variety of sizes from 2" to 6" and colors from black to white also work well. In saltwater, led eyes are great to get the fly down fast.


(2) At the camp.
Guests need to bring their own tackle. In order to fully enjoy the variety of fish available at the out camp, each angler should bring at least two outfits. A heavy salmon outfit and a light trout outfit. If you plan a combination of fly and spin/cast fishing you will need to add outfits accordingly. You should consider the following information. Keep in mind that these are our suggestions and they are not meant to imply that your ideas are wrong. Much of what we have learned came from watching experienced fishermen, from around the world, doing what they do best. If you have some tricks to show us, we would love to see them.
King Salmon Tackle, Freshwater
To fly fish for Kings we suggest an 8 to 10 weight fly rod with a fighting butt. Remember that you will spend more time casting than you will fighting Kings. We suggest you bring a rod that you enjoy casting, if it is tiresome and uncomfortable for you to cast a 10 weight rod all day, bring an 8 weight. It may take a little longer to land fish but in the end your casting arm will thank you. If you like to fish with two handed rods, bring yours along for Kings. But, don't leave your standard rod behind. Some areas are not suited to the two handed rod.
We suggest you bring a reel which has a strong disc drag and capacity for your fly line and 200 yards of 30 pound backing. Extra spools are great for quick line changes.
Most King fishing is done with sinking tip lines. We suggest you bring both a medium sink tip line such as the Scientific Anglers 10 ft. Wet Tip III Hi-D and a very fast sink tip such as the Scientific Anglers 13 ft. Wet Tip V.
Most Kings are caught on roe patterns size 2 or larger. Some favorites are the Bright Roe (orange), the Fat Freddy and the Franks Fly. Other flys that have proven effective are the Egg Sucking Leech (purple/orange), lengths 2" to 5" and the Flash Fly (red & silver).


To spin/cast for Kings we suggest a long rod in the 8 foot range. The rod should be built to handle lure weights up to one ounce and line weights up to 20 pounds. No need to over do it here, leave the tuna rods at home.
We suggest spin/cast reels have strong smooth drags and capacity for 200 yards of 20 pound line. Take a good look at that old reel, be sure it is in good working order.
We suggest you load your reel with 15 to 20 pound line. Here again, no need to over do it, the light stuff casts better and is less visible to the fish. The river does not have a lot of heavy cover or deep rapid water to contend with.
At the out camp we practice mainly "Catch & Release" so we suggest you have single hooks on your lures. If your lures do not already have single hooks you can cut off the treble hooks and replace them with single hooks. Some of the most popular lures are Flash-Glo, Mepps and Vibrax spinners in size 5 and colors red and silver. Pixie spoons in ½ and 7/8 ounce and colors silver/orange and silver/green. Snap swivels work well to attach line to lure. Size 1/0 bait hooks, orange Glo Bug Yarn and some split shot are great for fishing roe sack baits.
Anglers wishing to fish with roe sack baits should bring materials to tie their own baits. Or, tied baits can be prepared by the staff and purchased for $10.00 per pound.
Sockeye Salmon Tackle
We suggest your Sockeye fly rod should be from 6 to 8 weight, a fighting butt is optional. Sockeye are strong and fast so we suggest your reel have a smooth disc drag and capacity for your fly line and 200 yards of 30 pound backing. Extra spools are nice for quick line changes.
Most Sockeye fishing is done with floating and sink tip lines. We suggest a floating line and a medium sink tip such as the Scientific Anglers 10 ft. Wet Tip III Hi -D. Stay away from the super hi density lines. Sockeye fly fishing requires a lot of roll casting and mending so we do not suggest shooting head systems.
We find the best sockeye flys to be sparsely tied bucktail patterns in size 2 to 6. Favorite colors are red/white, green/white and blue/white. The gray ghost is a similar and effective pattern. Colors are not so important as a neutral buoyancy, avoid heavily weighted or very buoyant patterns. It is necessary to sink the fly just right so some twist on lead strips or split shot is a must.


We do not suggest spin/cast tackle for Sockeye fishing.
Silver Salmon (Coho) Tackle, Freshwater
To fly fish for Silver Salmon we suggest a 7 to 9 weight rod with a fighting butt. Silver fishing often requires some longer casts from deep wading stances so longer (9'+) rods are nice. If you like to fish with two handed rods, bring yours along for Silvers. But, don't leave your standard rod behind. Some areas are not suited to the two handed rod.
We suggest you bring a reel which has a strong disc drag and capacity for your fly line and 200 yards of 30 pound backing. Extra spools are great for quick line changes.
Silver fly fishing is done with a wide variety of lines. We suggest you bring a floating line, a medium sink tip line such as the Scientific Anglers 10 ft. Wet Tip III Hi-D and a very fast sink tip such as the Scientific Anglers 13 ft. Wet Tip V.
For Silvers we suggest flashy patterns and rabbit patterns in size 1/0 to 2. Flys that have proven effective are the Flash Fly (red/silver), the Egg Sucking Leech (purple/orange) and the Silver Tear.


To spin/cast for Silvers we suggest a long rod in the 8 foot + range. The rod should be built to handle lure weights up to 7/8 ounce and line weights up to 17 pounds. No need to over do it here, leave the tuna rods at home.
We suggest spin/cast reels have strong smooth drags and capacity for 200 yards of 17 pound line. Take a good look at that old reel, be sure it is in good working order.
We suggest you load your reel with 12 to 17 pound line. Here again, no need to over do it, the light stuff casts better and is less visible to the fish. The river does not have a lot of heavy cover or deep rapid water to contend with.
At the out camp we practice mainly "Catch & Release" so we suggest you have single hooks on your lures. If your lures do not already have single hooks you can cut off the treble hooks and replace them with single hooks. Some of the most popular lures are Flash-Glo, Mepps and Vibrax spinners in size 3 to 5 and colors red and silver. Pixie spoons in ½ and 7/8 ounce and colors silver/orange and silver/green. Snap swivels work well to attach line to lure.
Dolly Varden/Rainbow Tackle
Dolly Varden fishing at the out camp is referred to as "Trout" fishing. Rainbows are found at several fly-out destiations. We suggest your Trout fly rod should be from 3 to 5 weight.
Trout are strong and fast but they can be over powered and this can greatly distract from the sport of fishing for them. A relatively small 14 inch Trout may run 200 feet and jump 5 times but it can't do this if you put the breaks on it. We suggest your reel have a light click paul drag with enough tension to let the fish do it's stuff while still preventing a backlash at the end of a run. An exposed palming rim will help you to add drag when the big one hits. Your Trout reel should have capacity for your fly line and 100 yards of 20 pound backing. Line changes are not necessary so there is no need for extra spools.
Most Trout fishing is done with floating lines. We suggest a floating line such as the Scientific Anglers Supreme. Trout fly fishing requires a lot of roll casting and mending so we do not suggest shooting tapers. Some twist on lead strips or split shot and some strike indicators may come in handy as will some tapered leaders and a selection of tippet material from 1x to 5x.
To take Trout on the surface we suggest dry flys in size 12 and 14. The favorite is the Royal Wulff. Wet fly favorites are size 12 to 14 Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear and Pheasant Tail. Some regular and some bead-head versions of these patterns are a good idea. Our favorite egg pattern is the Iliamna Pinky for fishing Trout near spawning Salmon. A favorite early season smolt pattern is the SSS (Shawn's Spring Sparkler).


We do not suggest spin/cast tackle for Trout fishing.
Steelhead Tackle
To fly fish for Steelhead we suggest a 7 to 9 weight rod with a fighting butt. Long "two handed rod" enthusiasts will find some applications for their gear in this Steelhead fishery. If you like to fish with two handed rods, bring yours along for Steelhead. But, don't leave your standard rod behind. Some areas are not suited to the two handed rod.
We suggest you bring a reel which has a strong disc drag and capacity for your fly line and 200 yards of 30 pound backing. Extra spools are great for quick line changes.
Steelhead fly fishing is done with a wide variety of lines. We suggest you bring a floating line, a medium sink tip line such as the Scientific Anglers 10 ft. Wet Tip III Hi-D and a very fast sink tip such as the Scientific Anglers 13 ft. Wet Tip V.
For Steelhead we suggest the Green But Skunk, the Franks Fly and the Purple Egg Sucking Leach in size 2 to 4. Some black bunny leaches and some Glo Bugs are a good idea. Long patterns like the String Leach work well at times.

At the out camp we are not very well developed in the art of waking dry flys for Steelhead. We can't make any suggestions but we are eager to learn. If you are familiar with this technique, please bring some gear along.
We do not suggest spin/cast tackle for Steelhead.
Fishing vest or pocket tackle box.
Our fishing program involves walking and wading along streams so it is best if you can carry your equipment comfortably on your person. Bags or large tackle boxes that you must set down are often far away when you need them. A small light day pack can be a good idea if you don't use a vest.
At the out camp we sell fishing licenses and terminal tackle. The flys and spoons listed above, or vary similar items, are for sale at the camp. If you can't find a particular item we will most likely be able to help you in camp.

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